Anti-Muslim attitudes not the Kiwi way

Muslim New Zealanders are just normal ¬New
Zealanders, the woman at the centre of a widely publicised
anti-Muslim attack in Huntly has told Massey University
students.

As a guest speaker for a course on New Zealand
identity and citizenship, Mehpara Khan talked about the
multiple and interwoven threads of her identity – as a
woman, a Muslim and a New Zealander.

“There are
multiple threads that make up who I am – the Hijab [head
scarf traditionally worn by Muslim women] is not the sum
total of my identity, but it makes up an important part of
the mix as does being just a normal New Zealander.”

In
talking about Muslim identity, she said “there have been
so many negative stories in the media about Muslims since
9/11 that it’s had an impact on perceptions and
behaviours, particularly when people haven’t met a Muslim
to balance and provide perspective on what they’re hearing
and seeing.

“Often Muslims are talked about as an
“other”, a nameless, faceless group as opposed to being
viewed as a bunch of normal people who live and work in our
communities and contribute to society.”

New Zealand-born
Ms Khan made headlines last month when she and four of her
friends were attacked verbally and physically and had beer
cans thrown at them during a pit stop in Huntly. Ms Khan’s
video of the incident went viral, prompting an outpouring of
condemnation of the treatment as well as support from New
Zealanders for her capturing it on
film.

Challenging stereotypes

She told
students the incident “showed the impact that constant
negative information about Muslims and Islam has in the long
run in a very human way. It showed someone real who was
being affected by it – and that person came with a voice
that had a Kiwi accent, which challenged a lot of standing
stereotypes about what it means to be a Muslim in New
Zealand.”

She was addressing first year Bachelor of Arts
students enrolled in a new core paper, titled
Tūrangawaewae: Identity and Belonging in Aotearoa New
Zealand, that explores ideas, myths and changing
realities about identity, culture and citizenship in New
Zealand.

Ms Khan says her recent experience prompted
questions and a wider public conversation around national
identity, and she is keen to foster constructive ways
forward for dealing with the issues.

“There was such
huge public condemnation of this type of behaviour because
it goes against so many of the values we hold for what it
means to be a Kiwi – which is generally nice, easy-going
people.”

She says the issue also brought into
question how the growing ethnic faces who do identify as New
Zealanders fit into the mix.

“How can we be perceived
as ‘normal’ – or accepted as a different kind of New
Zealander?”

In her talk she suggested a couple of ways
to do this. “I think it starts with being aware of your
prejudices and stereotypes and trying to hold off forming an
opinion until you at least hear people speak. But we also
need to be having conversations at home about how negative
behaviour, big or small, towards any group is not okay and
shouldn’t be just accepted as normal.”

The
Tūrangawaewae paper explores what it means to be in and
of this place (Aotearoa) through four themes: the changing
face of New Zealand; what it means to have a voice in this
country; how place shapes us in significant ways; and the
stories we tell ourselves about what it means to be a New
Zealander.

Course co-ordinator Dr Trudie Cain says Ms
Khan’s talk gave the students some insight into
another’s experience of being a New Zealander. “It
highlighted the extent to which our experiences are shaped
by our various threads of identity and also exposed the
discrimination that some people can face in this
country.”

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